Teens no longer discouraged from resistance training

QUESTION: I really want to begin weight training in order to help me be a more competitive high school athlete. I am 14 years old and get so sore after my first workout I can hardly move. This has happened several times. Help!

By JIM LaFOUNTAIN

Uticaod

By JIM LaFOUNTAIN

Posted Aug. 28, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 28, 2009 at 4:18 PM

By JIM LaFOUNTAIN

Posted Aug. 28, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 28, 2009 at 4:18 PM

QUESTION: I really want to begin weight training in order to help me be a more competitive high school athlete. I am 14 years old and get so sore after my first workout I can hardly move. This has happened several times. Help!

ANSWER: A few years ago I trained several college football players who called me mid-season with a problem. They had played in an aggressive pick-up game of basketball after a Saturday game and were extremely sore about 36 hours later. One athlete actually had to miss practice on Monday due to the severe soreness in his legs.

Even the most skilled athletes experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness following a new or different training protocol. Your interest in using resistance training to improve your sports skills is a great idea. Until a few years ago, young teenagers were discouraged from engaging in any form of resistance exercise. Many self-proclaimed experts thought a young teenager’s physical development would be disrupted by resistance exercise.

Generally, a first-time weight trainer’s soreness will leave after 48 to 72 hours. The most effective method for recovering from an initial workout is to repeat the mode of exercise that caused the soreness. After two to three sessions, you will no longer experience discomfort following your workouts. After you start training again, wait three days before your second workout and train at a lower intensity. This will generate the flow of oxygenated blood to the microscopically damaged areas and enhance the healing process. For years, athletes mistakenly thought the soreness was caused by an accumulation of lactic acid. Lactic acid, however, leaves the muscle in just a couple of hours. Soreness is caused by microscopically damaged muscle tissue. Again, the recovery process is usually completed within 48 to 72 hours.

The primary concern when prescribing a weight-training program for a young teenage athlete is whether the athlete is emotionally mature enough to handle the rigors of intense exercise. From the maturity of your question, you are certainly on the right track. I would seek the advice of a trained professional in order to get started safely and with the proper program.

Jim LaFountain is president of All-American Fitness Center in New Hartford. He has a master's degree in exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Write to him at 1 Campion Road, New Hartford NY 13413.